• Name: Matthew Ryan Phillippe
• Birthdate: September 10th, 1974
• Birthplace: New Castle, Delaware
• Height: 5'9" (1.75 m)
• Eye Color: Blue
• Hair Color: Blonde
• Shoe Size: US 10
• Star Sign: Virgo
• Parents: Richard and Susan Phillippe
• Siblings: 3 Sisters, Kirsten, Lindsay, Katelyn
• Spouse: Reese Witherspoon (Actress) (June 5th, 1999 - 5 October 2007)(Divorced)
• Children: Ava Elizabeth Phillippe (Sept 9th, 1999) & Deacon Phillippe (Oct 23rd, 2003)
• Pets: English Bulldog (Frances Albert Sinatra) aka Frank or Frankie & a Scorpian
• Car: Black Lexus

Matthew Ryan Phillippe was born in 1974 in New Castle, Delaware. After being spotted at the barber at the age of 17, he moved to New York to pursue an acting career. His first role was that of Billy Douglass in the daytime show "One Life To Live". The role was a milestone in daytime history, as he was the first gay character to appear on any soap. Ryan stayed on for about a year before moving to Los Angeles to try his hand at feature films. His first film was "Crimson Tide" opposite Denzel Washington. But it was in 1996 where he had his first real break with "White Squall", starring opposite Jeff Bridges. There he starred with a slew of hot up and coming actors such as Scott Wolf, Ethan Embry and Jeremy Sisto. Ryan played Gil Martin in the movie, a young man who is terrified of heights. Ryan scored critical kudos for his performance with his heartfelt portrayal.

Ryan would go on to star in small interesting films like "Invader", "Nowhere" and "Little Boy Blue" before scoring a massive box office hit with the 1997 scary movie "I Know What You Did Last Summer". The movie came on the back of the successful 1996 movie Scream. With Scream rejuvenating the horror genre, "I Know What You Did Last Summer" went on to make $70 million at the domestic box office, cementing star status not only Ryan, but his co-stars Jennifer Love Hewitt, Freddie Prince Jr and Sarah Michelle Gellar. The movie was so successful that it spawned a sequel titled "I Still Know What You Did Last Summer". Ryan did not return for the sequel as his character got killed, but it allowed him to move on to bigger and better things.

In 1998, Ryan kept busy with a slew of films. He starred in "Homegrown" opposite Billy Bob Thornton and Hank Azaria and then in "Playing By Heart" opposite some of Hollywood's biggest and brightest talents. Sean Connery, Jon Stewart, Angelina Jolie and Gillian Anderson were some of the stars in this big ensemble movie. Even while surrounded with such acting talent, Ryan still shone in his role of Keenan. Also in 1998 was the much publicized movie "54", which was about the decadent 70's nightclub Studio 54. This was a big break for Ryan as it was his first major leading role in a big production. While the movie got lukewarm critical reaction, it allowed Ryan to step out front and centre, thus paving the way for more starring roles.

That starring role came in the 1999 Dangerous Liaisons remake, "Cruel Intentions". The movie was a box office hit and a critical success. This proved that Ryan could carry a film as the lead star and also solidified him as a box office attraction. In the movie, he reteams with Sarah Michelle Gellar and for the first time starred opposite his then girlfriend Reese Witherspoon. In June of that same year, Ryan and Reese got married and had a daughter, Ava Elizabeth Phillippe in September.

Following the success of the movie came the vastly different 2000's actioner "The Way Of Gun" and 2001's thriller "AntiTrust". Ryan seemed more focus on becoming a respected and versatile actor rather than just starring in any old mainstream movie. This would pay off, as in 2001 respected director Robert Altman would cast him in "Gosford Park" opposite an elite group of British actors. He was to play Henry Denton, a suspicious valet who gets caught up with a murder mystery at Gosford Park. That movie went on to be nominated for Best Picture at the 2002 Academy Awards. Ryan would then continue on this critical acclaim with the 2002 dark comedy "Igby Goes Down". While he didn't have a movie released in 2003, he and became a father for the second time; son Deacon Phillippe was born in October.

After Ryan’s "The I Inside" was released, he flew to Vancouver in early 2004 to film "Crash", directed by Paul Haggis. The film, which starred Ryan as Officer Hansen alongside Sandra Bullock, Don Cheadle, Brendan Fraser, and Matt Dillon, was a smash hit with critics and audiences alike upon its release, and won Best Picture Academy Award in 2006. Ryan then began work on "Chaos", with Wesley Snipes and Jason Statham along with completing "Five Fingers" with Laurence Fishburne. In 2006 came his critically acclaimed lead performance in Clint Eastwood’s "Flags of Our Fathers", a film documenting the lives of the men who lifted the flag at The Battle of Iwo Jima in World War II. Following in 2007 he starred alongside Chris Cooper in the modern day spy thriller "Breach", based on the true story of the greatest security breach in U.S. history. It was during this time that he and wife of 8 years Reese Witherspoon announced their divorce, which came as a shock to Hollywood.

As of 2008 Ryan has three upcoming projects; "Franklyn" set in a futuristic London society where there is no separation between Church and State, "Last Battle Dreamer" a love story set in 9th century England, against the backdrop of the Viking invasions and "The Stanford Prison Experiment", directed by Christopher McQuarrie. Aside from acting, Ryan has started up a production company with actor pals Breckin Meyer and Seth Green. He's hoping to produce his first feature film in the future and also has aspirations to direct someday.